https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/oldblogposts/ Recent content in Oldblogposts on Life Is Simply Amazing Hugo -- gohugo.io en-us Sandra Hoekstra Tue, 12 May 2020 15:43:32 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2020/05/12/big-lessons-from-a-tiny-horse/ Tue, 12 May 2020 15:43:32 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2020/05/12/big-lessons-from-a-tiny-horse/ Early 2018 I started volunteering at Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center. Here they teach horseback riding lessons adapted to the client’s physical and/or mental abilities as well as provide therapy (physical, occupational or speech) on a horse. I loved it from the start. Being around the horses is therapeutic for everyone and seeing the clients smile and enjoy themselves is so worth it. After a few months, I discovered they also had a group for Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) and started volunteering in that group. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2020/05/04/for-the-love-of/ Mon, 04 May 2020 15:42:41 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2020/05/04/for-the-love-of/ A little ode to fountain pens and notebooks. As much as I love my surface, nothing beats writing with a fountain pen in a beautiful new notebook. That clean slate, the ink that flows onto the paper. It’s one of those little things in life that make me happy. I could own lots and lots of fountain pens and notebooks without ever using them, just because they’re so beautiful. Also, when I study, I prefer to make notes on paper rather than on my laptop. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2020/04/27/its-ok-to-not-feel-ok/ Mon, 27 Apr 2020 18:42:01 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2020/04/27/its-ok-to-not-feel-ok/ I offer you peace. I offer you love. I offer you friendship. I see your beauty. I hear your need. I feel your feelings. Mahatma Gandhi We all have our good and our not so good days. That is part of life. But in short time life has changed in a way no one has ever experienced. And though it has changed more for some than for others, it has changed for all of us. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2019/07/26/head-up-high/ Fri, 26 Jul 2019 23:35:46 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2019/07/26/head-up-high/ The most dangerous stories we make up are the narratives that diminish our inherent worthiness. We must reclaim the truth about our lovability, divinity, and creativity. Brene Brown When you haven’t learned to love yourself, when you have been taught to diminish your worthiness, it can be a challenge to reclaim it. At times it can feel like everyone is out to crush you and you feel lonely and vulnerable. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2019/04/01/not-mine-to-carry/ Mon, 01 Apr 2019 17:55:12 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2019/04/01/not-mine-to-carry/ There it was that heavy load I thought it was mine to carry so I did And you let me leaning on me adding some more I did all I could and lost myself I tried to break free and you cried Why don’t you love me! You meant no harm but left me bleeding nonetheless And still you can’t see I carried on be sweet be perfect suck it up https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2019/03/16/how-i-survive-depression/ Sun, 17 Mar 2019 05:59:47 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2019/03/16/how-i-survive-depression/ Michelle Robinson via Flickr The other day I was asked how I survive the turmoil of a depressive episode. That was kind of interesting, because I never consciously thought about it. I realize everyone is different and what works for me doesn’t necessarily work for someone else. Nevertheless, I think I’m on to some good stuff 😊. Obviously, it’s not going to take away the depression. These things are meant as self-care to make the journey a little easier. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2019/03/07/behind-the-smile/ Thu, 07 Mar 2019 18:13:00 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2019/03/07/behind-the-smile/ I have a friend, a wonderful, kind and caring friend. She’s the kind of woman who can handle anything, the kind of woman who has always something going on, the kind of woman who talks to everyone, the kind of woman you can laugh with. She’s the kind of woman people would never believe to be suffering from depression. She’s social, she’s active, she’s smiling… How could she possibly be depressed? https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2019/03/04/noem-me-gek/ Mon, 04 Mar 2019 21:02:07 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2019/03/04/noem-me-gek/ Click here for the English version: Call me crazy Toen ik halverwege de twintig was, worstelde ik met een zware depressie. Alles leek inktzwart, ik voelde me ontzettend eenzaam en niemand leek het echt te begrijpen. Het blijkt dat ik me in goed gezelschap bevind. Lady Di, Winston Churchill, Jim Carrey, Charles Dickens, Audrey Hepburn, allemaal leden ze op enig moment aan depressiviteit. En ik ben zeker niet de enige, volgens de WHO (Wereld GezondheidsOrganisatie) wordt bijna 1 op de 5 mensen op enig moment in hun leven depressief. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2018/09/17/the-threshold/ Mon, 17 Sep 2018 16:48:18 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2018/09/17/the-threshold/ She’s wearing her father’s hoodie, making her look smaller than she is. She sits down next to me on the couch, nestling herself into my arms. I’m soaking up her scent and savoring the moment. At ten years old we’re on the threshold to young adulthood and I’m not ready for it. Only five years ago she started Kindergarten in a country she didn’t know and didn’t speak the language of. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2017/11/28/life-is-a-journey-so-better-enjoy-the-road/ Tue, 28 Nov 2017 20:12:08 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2017/11/28/life-is-a-journey-so-better-enjoy-the-road/ Success is a journey not a destination. The doing is usually more important than the outcome. Arthur Ashe Last week Lisa came home all excited. She announced that she wanted to represent her class in the Student Advisory Leadership Team. Every class gets to pick two representatives (a boy and a girl). Those kids will have meetings with the principal and present the ideas of their class. She was delighted by the idea of representing her class and asked me if she please could (I had to sign a permission slip). https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2017/11/15/do-it-anyway/ Wed, 15 Nov 2017 19:40:40 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2017/11/15/do-it-anyway/ A beautiful poem that’s attributed to Mother Theresa. Some say the words were written on a wall in Mother Theresa’s children’s home in Calcutta. It’s adapted from the Paradoxical Commandments by Kent M. Keith. People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2017/11/07/bent-not-broken/ Tue, 07 Nov 2017 19:13:22 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2017/11/07/bent-not-broken/ Bent, Not Broken Desolate the reed stands in between the barren fields. Fighting the harsh wind and bitter cold. Head down hoping to defy the wind. Severely bent but not broken. Until one day the wind lays down and the sun comes out. And the reed rises, glorious and fierce. Ready to grow to its full potential. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2017/10/31/quote-for-thought/ Tue, 31 Oct 2017 19:38:50 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2017/10/31/quote-for-thought/ A moment of self-compassion can change your entire day. A string of such moments can change the course of your life. Christopher K. Germer How can it be that self-compassion is so hard for most people? We are willing to give others a break, but not ourselves. How wonderful would it be if we could be as kind towards ourselves like we are to the people we love? Nowadays, when I notice that I’m self-loathing, I ask myself: what would I say to a friend? https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2017/10/24/how-average-beats-the-gremlin/ Tue, 24 Oct 2017 19:34:25 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2017/10/24/how-average-beats-the-gremlin/ Photo by Leonora (Ellie) Enking via Flickr  Last week I logged in to my Red Tricycle account and much to my surprise, the UPV’s (Unique Page Views) of my best-read article had gone up significantly. At one point it was over 6200. Wow, this made me feel like I am actually a real writer. People want to read what I’ve written. I have something good to say. Then, suddenly it went down to 290 UPV’s. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2017/10/19/do-you-think-your-child-doesnt-have-a-math-brain-think-again/ Fri, 20 Oct 2017 03:32:31 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2017/10/19/do-you-think-your-child-doesnt-have-a-math-brain-think-again/ Photo Anthony Albright via Flickr Never give up on what you really want to do. The person with big dreams is more powerful than the one with all the facts. Albert Einstein My 9 years old daughter has a love/hate relationship with math. When she gets it, she likes math. The problem is that if she doesn’t grasp it right away, she gets discouraged. She then thinks that she can’t do it and wants to give up. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2017/10/03/owning-my-story-2-the-power-of-authenticity/ Tue, 03 Oct 2017 18:27:00 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2017/10/03/owning-my-story-2-the-power-of-authenticity/ True belonging only happens when we present our authentic, imperfect selves to the world, our sense of belonging can never be greater than our level of self-acceptance. Brene Brown Of all the things I struggle with, self-acceptance is probably my biggest challenge. And when I look at society, I know I’m not the only one (though admittedly there are times I feel like I am). People spend a lot of money on appearance, whether it’s plastic surgery or expensive possessions, because they care how others perceive them. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2017/09/19/owning-my-story-the-beginning/ Tue, 19 Sep 2017 22:01:06 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2017/09/19/owning-my-story-the-beginning/ You either walk inside your story and own it or you stand outside your story and hustle for your worthiness. Brene Brown Hustling for worthiness, that’s what I’ve done for as long as I can remember. Never good enough, only visible when I got high grades or was “a good girl”. Always trying to be perfect so others would like and accept me. Always trying to stand outside my story, because I was ashamed of it, of myself. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2017/09/15/september-national-suicide-prevention-awareness-month/ Fri, 15 Sep 2017 21:01:42 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2017/09/15/september-national-suicide-prevention-awareness-month/ Imagine, you have been walking all day and somewhere along the way, you got lost. You’ve been walking around for hours and the day is coming to an end. It’s getting darker and darker, you can hardly see where you put your feet. You need to find shelter soon. Then, suddenly your foot slides away and you tumble down. A long way down. Like Alice into the rabbit hole, except, there’s no wonderland, just darkness. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2017/06/21/depression-as-purpose/ Wed, 21 Jun 2017 19:52:49 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2017/06/21/depression-as-purpose/ Have you ever wondered what the purpose of your life is? I have. Many times. Ever since I did my first NLP training I have this feeling that I want to help people, I just don’t know how. But lately I’m starting to think that maybe it is to create awareness for mental illness. Whenever I feel insecure about my posts I keep reminding myself: if there’s just one person who gets something out of my writing, then it’s worth it. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2017/05/10/thank-you/ Wed, 10 May 2017 17:26:05 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2017/05/10/thank-you/ Thanks to everyone who read my post on mental illness and for all the kind responses I got. Honestly, after I put my post on facebook, insecurity hit big time. Why am I doing this? As if anyone wants to read this. With those 2 people I know I’m not exactly going to change the world. Ahhh, good old insecurity, always there when you don’t need it. The nice feedback and the kind words that I received in response to my post were heartwarming and made me realize it was a good decision. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2017/05/05/mental-illness-break-the-stigma/ Fri, 05 May 2017 17:35:44 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2017/05/05/mental-illness-break-the-stigma/ Whether an illness affects your heart, your leg or your brain, it’s still an illness, and there should be no distinction. Michelle Obama Mental health, one of the most important things in our lives, whether young or old. It determines how we interact with people around us, how we handle stress and problems, how we make choices and act. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) almost 18 percent of US adults suffered from a mental illness in 2015. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/10/19/worried-about-your-quiet-child/ Wed, 19 Oct 2016 19:26:36 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/10/19/worried-about-your-quiet-child/ Did you ever worry about your child being quiet? Wondering if (s)he is social enough, has enough friends, is well liked etc.? If you did, you’re not alone. Many parents worry about their child not living up to the expectations of our extroverted society. Especially when parents are extroverts themselves, they may be wondering what’s wrong and think (s)he is shy or maybe even depressed. Well, there’s a good chance nothing is wrong. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/10/17/the-fairy-garden/ Mon, 17 Oct 2016 19:36:56 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/10/17/the-fairy-garden/ The first week of my course ‘writing for children’ we had to write about a life event. That came pretty easily. This week’s assignment was to write something, mixing two genres. I couldn’t think of anything really. So, I made it a little bit easier on myself 🙂 . I asked Lisa what kind of story she would like me to write. That wasn’t too difficult for her. She wanted a story about a girl called Lizzy that got a box from her father and would meet fairies and other fantasy creatures. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/10/12/you-dont-have-to-understand-someone-to-be-respectful/ Wed, 12 Oct 2016 16:24:34 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/10/12/you-dont-have-to-understand-someone-to-be-respectful/ You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist. Friedrich Nietzsche The other day I was at a party. After I finished talking to a friend, I started listening in on another conversation. Since I just dropped in on the conversation, I didn’t know exactly what it was about, but it seemed being sociable was the theme. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/10/06/welcome-to-my-life/ Thu, 06 Oct 2016 21:02:15 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/10/06/welcome-to-my-life/ Ok, this is kind of scary, so please be nice 🙂 . I’ve discovered I like to write, hence this blog. But… I want more. And so, I’ve decided to do an online course writing for children. I’ve never written anything for kids, so it’s scary. All kinds of limiting beliefs that come to haunt me 🙂 . Every week there is an assignment and I want to share my very first one. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/10/01/why-i-think-all-schools-should-teach-mindfulness-and-meditation/ Sat, 01 Oct 2016 22:19:41 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/10/01/why-i-think-all-schools-should-teach-mindfulness-and-meditation/ If every 8 year old child in the world is taught meditation, we can eliminate violence from the world within one generation. The Dalai Lama When I did my first NLP training (I was thirty something), I remember thinking: “I wish this was taught in schools, it would’ve helped me so much”. Of course it is important to learn to read and write and do math. And it would be really great if schools would also teach us skills for life. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/09/14/king-solomons-ring/ Wed, 14 Sep 2016 19:47:44 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/09/14/king-solomons-ring/ There are several different versions of the parable of King Salomon’s ring, but this the one I like the most. This is the version as told by David Franko from Turkey, written down by Heda Jason. One day King Solomon decided to teach humility to Benaiah Ben Yehoyada, one of his ministers. He said to him, “Benaiah, there is a certain ring that I want you to bring to me. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/09/09/emodiversity-emowhat/ Fri, 09 Sep 2016 22:06:45 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/09/09/emodiversity-emowhat/ This research project builds on the idea that our evolutionarily older brain systems are not solely a source of immorality and selfishness, but when tuned by our goals, can contribute to moral and just behavior. Thus, human flourishing does not come from the suppression of aspects of the self, but rather through the integration of all relevant processes together into a unified response. How happy brains respond to negative things, by Summer Allen and Jeremy Adam Smith https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/09/08/too-much-sex-and-the-city/ Thu, 08 Sep 2016 20:00:00 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/09/08/too-much-sex-and-the-city/ The other day I started reading “Bird by Bird: some instructions on writing and life” by Anne Lamott. I haven’t finished it yet and I’m not entirely sure I will. I think I have a different sense of humor and I’m not too fond of her “on life” moments. There is one thing she wrote that I do like though. She says most writers start with a crummy first draft and go from there. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/09/04/the-science-of-happiness/ Sun, 04 Sep 2016 16:30:18 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/09/04/the-science-of-happiness/ Isn’t it wonderful when life gives you what you’re looking for at exactly the right moment? In search of more information on Dr. Kristin Neff, a researcher who works in the field of self-compassion (no worries, we’ll get to that some other time 🙂 ) I ended up at the site of the Berkeley university. Very interesting site, and as I was browsing, I noticed that they offer a FREE (hey, I’m still Dutch 🙂 ) course: The science of happiness. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/08/30/the-alchemist/ Tue, 30 Aug 2016 19:40:28 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/08/30/the-alchemist/ Listen to your heart. It knows all things, because it came from the Soul of the World. The Alchemist Have you ever read a book and wondered why you haven’t read it before? I just finished my new favorite book The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Of course I had heard of Paulo Coelho and of The Alchemist, I just never read it. I didn’t know what it was about and I guess the title didn’t appeal to me. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/08/22/what-to-say/ Mon, 22 Aug 2016 23:39:52 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/08/22/what-to-say/ When I was young I was very shy. Saying anything (and I mean anything, just saying hi) to people I didn’t know (too well) required a lot of courage. What I didn’t realize at that time is that it can even be harder to talk to family. Thinking back, I don’t think we ever shared a lot of things at home, not how our days had been and especially not feelings. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/08/17/prisoner-or-pioneer/ Wed, 17 Aug 2016 22:19:17 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/08/17/prisoner-or-pioneer/ Anger is just a cowardly extension of sadness. It’s a lot easier to be angry at someone than it is to tell them you’re hurt. Tom Gates When I read this, I was like: yes…that’s pretty much it. When I’m angry, often (or maybe always?) I feel hurt. Saying you’re hurt makes you vulnerable and in order to avoid that, I’ve developed a habit of being angry instead. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/08/08/daring-greatly/ Mon, 08 Aug 2016 21:48:56 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/08/08/daring-greatly/ A couple of years ago, I made drawings of my cat and my rabbit. Despite having some limiting believes about my drawing skills, I was pretty pleased with how it turned out. Not the work of a great artist, but I actually thought it looked good enough (maybe even to hang somewhere in my house). Pleased with my accomplishment I showed someone my drawings and this person responded with: Yeah… wouldn’t hang that in the living room. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/02/10/chicken-soup-and-not-much-more/ Wed, 10 Feb 2016 18:19:33 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/02/10/chicken-soup-and-not-much-more/ Well, I officially survived the first two days 🙂 . Like I said, at first very few foods are allowed and apart from the grape juice and mint tea they were not really my taste. Monday started kind of weird. Instead of making my usual smoothie I had to grab my book to see what to do. I made a “baked cheesecake” with carrots. It was edible, definitely not making it again. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/02/08/let-food-be-thy-medicine/ Mon, 08 Feb 2016 18:28:02 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/02/08/let-food-be-thy-medicine/ Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food. Hippocrates Today I started the so called Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD). The goal is to reset your (immune) system and find out what foods you can and cannot tolerate. The first couple of days you start with a very limited choice of foods; basically chicken(broth), eggs and cooked carrots and then, you slowly start adding new foods. After my colonoscopy I noticed I felt a little better the first two days. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/02/03/the-art-of-fashion/ Wed, 03 Feb 2016 18:45:50 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/02/03/the-art-of-fashion/ A couple of weeks ago, I bought some fabric to make fabric panels. Since the prints are fashion related I wanted to hang them in Lisa’s walk in closet to be some day. Our plans shifted a little, so I’m not sure she will have a walk in closet, but I really like the prints and I think the panels will be really nice, so I want to make them anyway. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/02/01/ego-wise/ Mon, 01 Feb 2016 17:39:12 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/02/01/ego-wise/ Maybe you read Ego logic in which I wrote about my challenge in dealing with Ego. One comment told how the advice to ignore Ego really made a difference to that person. It made me think, can I just ignore Ego? What I found out is that Ego represents my young self (and I’m soooo curious how this is for other people, so if you’d like to share, please do). When I was young, I did not have a lot of coping skills, none actually. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/01/24/everybodys-got-talent/ Sun, 24 Jan 2016 18:13:17 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/01/24/everybodys-got-talent/ Where your talents and the needs of the world cross, there lies your vocation. Aristotle Have you ever wondered what your talents are and/or if you have a vocation? I’m really curious if other people know their talents and if they do, whether they found where their talents cross the needs of the world. How do you know your talents and how do you know you found your vocation? https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/01/19/i-have-a-dream/ Tue, 19 Jan 2016 18:35:33 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/01/19/i-have-a-dream/ In the US, January 18th is a federal holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy (this day is his birthday). Yes, I realize I’m a day late 🙂 yesterday I was too tired to write two posts. Of course I could’ve just skipped it, but I feel the present world can use a reminder of the wise words he spoke. Men often hate each other, because they fear each other; they fear each other, because they don’t know each other, they don’t know each other, because they cannot communicate; they cannot communicate because they are separated. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/01/18/update/ Tue, 19 Jan 2016 00:17:39 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/01/18/update/ First of all I want to thank all of you for the good wishes. Friday at 2 pm it was time for my colonoscopy. The doctor and the nurses were great. After the procedure we got the results. So glad Mr. M. was there with me, because honestly, I can barely remember anything (I slept like a baby that night, good stuff 🙂 ). Good news: my colon and small bowel are nice and clean, no inflammation at all. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/01/15/colonoscopy/ Fri, 15 Jan 2016 17:41:49 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/01/15/colonoscopy/ Good morning to you from this morning’s favorite spot, the bathroom. I’m having a colonoscopy later this day and thanks to the colonoscopy prep I am spending most of my morning in the bathroom. It could be worse though. Like drinking the prep… by far the worst thing I’ve ever tasted. Oh well, I only had to drink 4 liters (a little over a gallon) of that stuff 🙂 . https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/01/11/ego-logic/ Mon, 11 Jan 2016 18:35:02 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/01/11/ego-logic/ How people treat you, is their karma; how you react, is yours. Dr. Wayne W. Dyer Somehow I have the idea I have to be perfect. I know, I know… that’s not possible, still I want to. So whenever I feel someone mistreats me or criticizes me, my ego goes ballistic. Ego tries to blame anyone but itself and gets angry and upset. Even though Ego doesn’t like everyone, Ego wants to be liked by everyone, if not, Ego feels rejected. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/01/08/pay-it-forward/ Fri, 08 Jan 2016 18:18:55 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2016/01/08/pay-it-forward/ Yesterday a dear friend of mine called, to let me know she thinks I’m a sweet and amazing person and that she totally understands me. She was so sweet, her love and kindness made me cry. She has a dear friend that also has Crohn’s so she knows what affect it can have on one’s life. She told me that one of the things her friend does when she’s not feeling too well, but does want to invite people, is to let them know she can’t make the entire dinner, but that she can make cocktails or dessert. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/12/16/sleepless-in-seattle-2/ Wed, 16 Dec 2015 16:24:14 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/12/16/sleepless-in-seattle-2/ Welcome back for another episode of “sleepless in Seattle”. For some reason my during the day so foggy mind starts to come alive at night. Out of the blue all kinds of thoughts and ideas pop up in my head. Great, I’m tired, but apparently my mind isn’t. Guess that was sleeping during the day and woke up when I turned off the light. Lucky me. So here I am. Rambling around until my mind thinks it is done spitting out great thoughts and I can go to sleep. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/12/11/when-sht-happens/ Fri, 11 Dec 2015 18:01:14 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/12/11/when-sht-happens/ So, what do you do when shit happens? a. You tell everyone who asks you how you’re doing. b. You tell family and friends. c. You tell your husband. d. You tell no one. Ok, d answer, was too easy. After all, who wants to listen to shit talk? For the record, I’m actually talking about poop. I know, that’s gross, that’s why you don’t tell anyone. Until you can no longer deny your Crohn’s is flaring up. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/10/19/sleepless-in-seattle/ Mon, 19 Oct 2015 09:06:30 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/10/19/sleepless-in-seattle/ It’s 1.11 am, the perfect time to write a blogpost which is way overdue, but not really 🙁. After several attempts to go to sleep I finally gave in. Guess I ate to many brownies and now suffering from hyperactivity due to too much sugar 🙂. My mind keeps working overtime, so many thoughts and ideas I’d like to work on. Unfortunately my mind doesn’t always seem to grasp the idea of a good night’s sleep. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/05/25/the-risk-to-blossom/ Mon, 25 May 2015 18:47:01 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/05/25/the-risk-to-blossom/ Is there anyone who doesn’t like goodie bags? Doesn’t everyone want to know what’s inside, or is it just me? Last week I finished my NLP training and we all got a goodie bag in which everyone had put a little something that expressed their appreciation. And lucky me, I have also been assisting in the practitioner training that ended this past weekend. So, I got another goodie bag! https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/05/19/beyoutiful/ Tue, 19 May 2015 18:03:56 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/05/19/beyoutiful/ This weekend I finished my master practitioner NLP. Yes, I rock! I have been stretching out of my comfort zone a LOT during these days and it was so totally worth it. I knew the only way to get the most out of it was to be really open and honest. Well, that was a nice stretch (I am soooo flexible 🙂 ) and guess what, it paid off. And people let me know that they appreciated me opening up, that it was inspiring and encouraging to open up themselves. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/05/04/celebrate-success/ Mon, 04 May 2015 16:55:18 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/05/04/celebrate-success/ I’ve been pretty busy lately, so I’m a little bit behind with my poetry course. But that’s ok, I do it for fun so I can do it in my own pace. Week 2 was about the form and sound of the poem. The assignment was to create to take a few words/short sentence and create a poem by rhyming certain sounds/letters from that sentence. So, first I had to come up with the words I wanted to start with. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/04/30/peace-love-yoga/ Thu, 30 Apr 2015 17:52:19 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/04/30/peace-love-yoga/ Do you ever intend to really do something, but then make up like a million reasons to not do it right now? I do 🙁 . About two weeks ago I finally started doing yoga again, after a pause of, well, I think a year. I was planning on going, but I made up all sorts of reasons not to. When I finally did go, it was just so good, that I really didn’t understand why I had been postponing this for so long. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/04/24/challenge-words/ Fri, 24 Apr 2015 17:33:53 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/04/24/challenge-words/ Every week Lisa has a spelling test at school. She gets a list with 8 mandatory words and 2 challenge words. Those challenge words a little bit more difficult, but she has a choice whether or not to write them down during the test. In my life there are a lot of challenge words. The past weekend my challenge word was: presentation. In my NLP training I needed to interview 3 people and together with several other people who choose the same topic (personal growth) we had to present to the rest of the group what we had learned. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/04/15/poetry-go-with-the-flow/ Wed, 15 Apr 2015 22:05:14 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/04/15/poetry-go-with-the-flow/ It’s been a while, but I intend to write on a more regular basis. Unfortunately I have a tendency to procrastinate 🙁 . Anyone know a good remedy against that? If you do, please let me know. To get myself doing something I signed up for a MOOC. MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Courses. These are free online courses offered by universities around the world. The course I enrolled in is called: How writers write poetry. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/02/27/every-word-matters/ Fri, 27 Feb 2015 19:31:47 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/02/27/every-word-matters/ This past weekend was the fifth weekend of my NLP training. Again, it was a very interesting weekend with interesting insights. Good insights this time, not like the last time 🙂 . On Saturday, we started the morning with a chance to tell about our experiences over the past month. There were some people with amazing stories about how they changed their behavior and as a result got a great opportunity. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/02/05/happiness-depends-upon-ourselves/ Thu, 05 Feb 2015 19:00:14 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/02/05/happiness-depends-upon-ourselves/ Happiness depends upon ourselves. Aristotle The other day I read a really inspiring story that illustrates this perfectly. I think this is such a beautiful story that I wanted to share this. To me it’s a real inspiration and maybe it will be for others as well. Old age is like a bank account. The 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud lady, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o’clock, with her hair fashionably coifed and makeup perfectly applied, even though she is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/02/03/that-one-moment/ Tue, 03 Feb 2015 18:13:46 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/02/03/that-one-moment/ That one moment You know that moment. That one moment shattered glass broken pieces stinging pain. Expected not Things have happened that should not Words said that were not supposed to be Final sale, not to be taken back. Life off course go stop falling spinning universe downside up black hole Nothing….. That one moment if not yet later we all meet The Inevitable https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/01/30/i-love-you-dad/ Fri, 30 Jan 2015 18:54:17 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/01/30/i-love-you-dad/ Before we left the Netherlands almost two years ago, we had a small ‘goodbye party’. During this party my dad was very emotional. I had never seen him like that, but I thought it had to be due to our move, why else? Two days later my father’s girlfriend called. She told me my dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He didn’t want to tell, because he didn’t want to bother us, but she had convinced him that he should tell before we left. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/01/27/the-meaning-of-your-communication/ Tue, 27 Jan 2015 17:28:23 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/01/27/the-meaning-of-your-communication/ We communicate every day, but how often are we consciously aware of what we say, how our words are received and what impact they have? I think most people don’t give it much thought, just assume that everyone understands what they’re saying, until something goes wrong. Or maybe it’s just me 🙂 . As I mentioned before I’m in a NLP training (if you do what you did, you will get what you got). https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/01/22/being-me/ Thu, 22 Jan 2015 19:30:18 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/01/22/being-me/ First of all I want to thank everyone that took the time and the effort to read my posts Call me crazy and Hello, this is your wake up call. It means a lot to me that you all did. I also want to thank everyone who commented in some way for their kind and encouraging words, it really lifted my spirit. Even though I know there are a lot of people who suffer(ed) from depression, I was still amazed how many people let me know they suffer(ed) too. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/01/21/call-me-crazy/ Wed, 21 Jan 2015 16:45:25 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/01/21/call-me-crazy/ When I was in my mid-twenties, I struggled with a severe depression. Everything was so dark and I felt so lonely and no one seemed to really understand. As it turns out I’m in pretty good company. Lady Di, Winston Churchill, Jim Carrey, Charles Dickens, Audrey Hepburn, all of them suffered from depression at some point. I also have a lot of company, according to the WHO (World Health Organization) almost one out of five people suffers from depression at some point in their live. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/01/20/hello-this-is-your-wake-up-call/ Tue, 20 Jan 2015 17:47:16 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/01/20/hello-this-is-your-wake-up-call/ This weekend was the fourth weekend of my NLP training. It was a very interesting and enlightening weekend. A very emotional weekend too. We were working on re-imprinting memories that have affected us in a negative way. What can I say, I have few of those in my memory box. So, when working with this, I got kind of emotional. Ok, very emotional. Hate it when that happens, that means at least 2 days of red, puffy eyes 🙁 . https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/01/15/room-make-over/ Thu, 15 Jan 2015 18:05:35 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/01/15/room-make-over/ In March Lisa will turn 7. What she really, really, really wants for her birthday? A bunk bed! She’s been talking about it for months. I found a nice (and affordable) one at Ikea. Actually it’s a loft bed, but it thank goodness it did qualify. I think it were the pink doors that did the trick 🙂 . When I asked her if she would like to have this bed, she was so happy, she gave me a whoooooole lot of kisses. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/01/07/sewing-date/ Wed, 07 Jan 2015 18:22:36 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2015/01/07/sewing-date/ A while ago I had a ‘sewing date’ with a friend of mine. She has been sewing for a long time and makes really cute stuff for her kids. She helped me pick a dress from a pattern book and showed me how to work with an actual pattern, because I had never done that before. All those lines just seemed so intimidating. And although it’s not that hard, you have to stay alert with all those lines, because it’s easy to miss something or mix things up. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/12/27/q-a-r/ Sat, 27 Dec 2014 18:28:17 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/12/27/q-a-r/ Eureka, I’m a genius, the next Einstein! Ok, not so much, but it is an important reminder to me. Remember the ugly plain brown sweater I jazzed up a bit? Well, Lisa didn’t still didn’t want to wear it 🙁 . So I asked her, what if I put some more hearts here and here, will you wear it then? The answer was maybe, which is basically a no. Then Mr. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/12/18/for-sale-baby-shoes-never-worn/ Thu, 18 Dec 2014 18:17:45 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/12/18/for-sale-baby-shoes-never-worn/ The legend goes that Ernest Hemingway made a bet that he could write a story of six words that would make people cry: For sale, baby shoes, never worn. It’s amazing how much 6 words can tell. War. Just cause? Or just ’cause? – Eric Gant* “Congratulations! Boy or girl” “…I’m overweight…” – Jakub Kopec* Family reunion; surrounded by relative strangers. – Shag* Of course I had to try it myself. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/12/17/the-pygmalion-effect/ Wed, 17 Dec 2014 16:46:33 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/12/17/the-pygmalion-effect/ If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them to become what they are capable of becoming. Goethe When I read this quote, I had to think of the Rosenthal-Jacobson study. You have probably heard of this study. In the late 1960’s there was an experiment at an elementary school. The teachers were told that some of their students (their names were revealed to the teachers) were to be expected to excel. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/12/15/jazz-it-up/ Mon, 15 Dec 2014 19:44:20 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/12/15/jazz-it-up/ The other day Lisa was in a school play in which she was a boxer dog. For that she needed a plain brown hoodie. Even though I bought the cheapest one I could find, I thought it was kind of sad that it would only be used for like an hour. So I decided to jazz it up a little so hopefully Lisa wants to wear it. I bought some fabric and started cutting, sewing and glueing. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/12/12/let-it-go/ Fri, 12 Dec 2014 19:07:15 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/12/12/let-it-go/ Yesterday I posted a message on Facebook in which I asked people if they might be interested in a meditation session guided by me (by the way, if you didn’t read that, but you are interested, please contact me). Personally I like to meditate, especially when guided. One of the reasons I recently started meditating on a regular basis is to connect to my body and spirit. I have been living in my mind/ratio for a long, long time. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/12/10/no-not-again/ Wed, 10 Dec 2014 22:29:23 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/12/10/no-not-again/ Has it happened to you too? Your child has a new pair of shoes and the first day they wear them to school, they’re ruined. Well, it happened to me a lot of times and this week again 🙁 . Lisa had new pink boots, and the first day she wore them to school, she came home with purple boots. I hate it when that happens. According to Lisa it is chalk, so I googled binged cleaning chalk from suede boots. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/12/05/and-i-quote/ Fri, 05 Dec 2014 18:15:25 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/12/05/and-i-quote/ I love quotes, some people just know how to get to the matter in a few clear words. One quote I really like is: What you think, you become. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you create. Buddha  Another one of my favorites is: Nothing is impossible, the word itself says “I’m possible” Audrey Hepburn If you like these quotes, you can find more on my new board “quotes” on Pinterest. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/12/04/when-i-grow-up/ Thu, 04 Dec 2014 23:15:40 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/12/04/when-i-grow-up/ Last year in kindergarten Lisa and her classmates made a book with the title: When I grow up… Every kindergartner got his/her own page in the book. On her page of the book Lisa wrote: I want to be a princess. I will have a long dress (okay, her exact words were: I want to be a prisess. I wil have a long dras). It’s wonderful to see the uncomplicated dreams of children, not being limited by all kinds of beliefs about why they wouldn’t be able to become whatever it is they desire. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/12/03/see-the-beauty-2/ Thu, 04 Dec 2014 00:39:52 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/12/03/see-the-beauty-2/ Another makeover project I recently finished is this footstool. Unfortunately I didn’t take a good before picture, because I couldn’t wait to get started 🙂 . I only have some pictures of the underside of the stool (just in case I wouldn’t know how to put it back together).   Well, I think it gives a pretty good idea of how ugly it was. So, I started to dissect the footstool, until there was nothing more left than 4 legs, a piece of wood and some foam. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/11/28/see-the-beauty/ Fri, 28 Nov 2014 21:48:16 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/11/28/see-the-beauty/ A couple of months ago I bought a small table and a chest of drawers for Lisa’s room from Craigslist. They were… not very special. In fact, Mr. M. thought I had lost my mind buying junk and made me promise that I would get rid of them if my plan for them wouldn’t work out. Yeah, sure, whatever… I was pretty confident it would work out 🙂 . https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/10/16/the-l-is-for/ Fri, 17 Oct 2014 03:01:54 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/10/16/the-l-is-for/ Lisa of course (though in a couple of years it may possibly the l for leave 🙂 ). I saw this letter on pinterest and thought it was so cut and decided I was going to make one for Lisa. All it took was some glasspearls, light rose wire, ribbon and a couple of minutes of my time. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/10/15/chocolate-chickpea-cake-recipe/ Thu, 16 Oct 2014 03:01:13 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/10/15/chocolate-chickpea-cake-recipe/ he other day I made a chocolate cake out of chickpeas and had some friends try it. They liked it and wanted to know the recipe. Since I thought I could improve the recipe, I made a new one on Monday. I thought it came out better than the original recipe, but unfortunately Mr. M. rated it no higher than: edible. Hmmm, could have been worse, but still, not what I was going for. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/10/10/sew-comfy/ Sat, 11 Oct 2014 02:59:56 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/10/10/sew-comfy/ A couple of weeks ago I made ponchos for Lisa and myself. They were really easy to make and they’re so comfy and handy. We love ‘m! Thanks to Nicolette I now finally have a picture of us in our ponchos. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/10/09/chickpea-cake/ Fri, 10 Oct 2014 02:56:26 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/10/09/chickpea-cake/ This week I’ve been experimenting with some cake/muffin recipes. I’m still hoping to one day create a more or less healthy treat that Mr. M. also loves to eat. So, on Monday I tried banana chocolate cake, I liked it. However, both Mr. M. and Lisa didn’t. So yesterday I tried chocolate cake made out of chickpeas. Chickpeas, really? Yeah, really, who would have thought! I was a little bit afraid it wouldn’t work out since chickpeas have a rather distinctive taste, but it turned out to be surprisingly tasty. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/10/06/mind-over-medicine/ Tue, 07 Oct 2014 02:55:46 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/10/06/mind-over-medicine/ I just finished reading “Mind over medicine” by Lissa Rankin, which I found to be really interesting. I strongly belief in the connection between mind and body and after reading this book possibly even more. When I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, my gastroenterologist told me I would have to take medicines for the rest of my life. I wasn’t too happy when he said that, and already having read stories of other people diagnosed with Crohn’s disease where the disease went into (total) remission, I was convinced that someday it should be possible to get off of the medicines. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/09/27/on-a-roll/ Sun, 28 Sep 2014 02:53:47 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/09/27/on-a-roll/ Ever since school started early September I’ve been very busy, but somehow I still don’t seem to have a lot of time to bead (sounds familiar, anyone?). However, I managed to experiment a little with making wire beads. Basically it comes down to rolling wire into coils and then do the same with the coils. After a little experimenting I was quite happy with how my copper bead turned out. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/09/26/if-you-do-what-you-did-you-will-get-what-you-got/ Sat, 27 Sep 2014 02:53:13 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/09/26/if-you-do-what-you-did-you-will-get-what-you-got/ About 2.5 years ago I did the NLP practioner training in the Netherlands. If you don’t know what NLP is, check out this link. Personally, I have found NLP to be a practical and powerful tool. Whenever I think about NLP the first thing that comes to mind is the phrase: when you do what you always did, you will get what you always got. This training really helped me to change and do things in a different way that works better for me and helped me move forward (and leave some difficult stuff behind me instead of just trying to bury it, which didn’t really work for me). https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/09/22/fall-has-come/ Tue, 23 Sep 2014 02:51:41 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/09/22/fall-has-come/ After a long, beautiful summer, fall has arrived. And not just on the calendar unfortunately, when I got up this morning rain was pouring down. Oh, well, I guess it’s a good thing, they call Washington the evergreen state and if we want to keep all this beautiful green, we can’t do without that wet stuff. The bright side is…… fall fashion!!!!! OMG I love this fall’s fashion, I’m afraid I don’t have enough money, there is just so much that I would like to have and I love this season’s colors. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/09/11/what-to-cook-or-not-to-cook/ Fri, 12 Sep 2014 02:49:42 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/09/11/what-to-cook-or-not-to-cook/ Over the years I’ve become more and more interested in (healthy) food. Especially when I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease a few years ago. I’ve become convinced that one of the worst things to eat is refined sugar and once you start looking for that, you will notice there are a lot of things that contain sugar (even things you might not expect it in). Once you start reading food labels, it’s impossible to stop. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/09/05/sew-happy/ Fri, 05 Sep 2014 07:16:27 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/09/05/sew-happy/ I recently discovered the magic of sewing. Really, it’s just magical to create clothes out of a piece of fabric. Since I only just started, I still have a lot to learn. The internet is a great source for all kinds of tutorials (don’t know how we survived without in the past 🙂 ) and since a couple of months I use Pinterest to collect the tutorials and inspirational pictures I find on the internet. https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/09/01/everything-has-beauty/ Tue, 02 Sep 2014 04:37:03 +0000 https://sandra.hoekstraonline.net/2014/09/01/everything-has-beauty/ Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. Confucius This quote is one of the things that inspired me to start this blog. I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely one of those people that tends to get wrapped up in all the big and small things they need to do and as a result no longer see, let alone enjoy, the beautiful little things that cross their path.